Maintaining balance
For a very long time I have been using RAK Bank Titanium credit card. Recently for payment convenience I opened a current account. I went to Abu Dhabi Corniche Branch and the agent opened my account. The main condition of operating a current account is that I have to maintain a monthly balance of Dh3,000. As this money would remain in the account without interest, I enquired with her for any alternative so that I would earn some interest. She opened a fixed deposit of Dh3,000 at one per cent interest. I agreed. The condition was that this fixed deposit will remain linked with my current account and I do not have to maintain the minimum balance of Dh3,000. Also I was given a free credit card having Dh3,000 credit limit. I was not told about any condition related to the credit card. After some time, I realised that I am not going to use this credit card as I have another credit card (Titanium) with better benefits and I am using that one extensively. I discussed this point with her and wanted to close this credit card. She agreed with my suggestion. At this point also I was not told anything about the implication of cancelling the credit card. Then I went to the branch and got the formalities of cancelling the credit card. Another agent assisted me but did not inform me about any implication of cancelling of the credit card, nor did he advise me to close the fixed deposit (Dh3,000) and transfer it to my current account. So it remained as it is. In August I saw a deduction of Dh25 from my account and upon enquiry I came to know that as I did not maintain a balance of Dh3,000, I had to pay the penalty, in spite of maintaining the fixed deposit of Dh3,000. I raised a complaint, and someone called and told me that the case has been investigated and the bank decided that I have to pay the penalty. I explained the whole story to him and told him that investigation has been done without consulting me. I was ready to go to the branch and talk with the above employees to corroborate my side of the story. He was not ready to consider my request and informed me that the higher management had taken the decision. I request Gulf News to take up the case with the higher management of RAK Bank for proper justice.
From Mr Samir Biswas
Abu Dhabi
Mr Ian Hodges, Head of Personal Banking, responds:
Thank you for giving us an opportunity to justify our stance on the issues raised by Mr Biswas, RAK Bank customer. Please note that Mr Biswas had complained about the Ledger Fees applied on his Current Account on August 5, 2012 wherein our investigation revealed that the client was advised by the Bank to maintain an average balance at account opening. Mr Biswas closed his Credit Card secured against the Fixed Deposit due to which a Ledger Fee, applicable as per our published Service and Price guide, was levied to the customer’s Current Account for non-maintenance of the minimum average balance. On receipt of your email, we have spoken to the customer and resolved his concerns positively.
Mr Biswas responds:
I thank Gulf News for taking up my case. After Gulf News sent my complaint to RAK Bank, I was contacted by RAK Bank representative and assured that the charge levied on me would be reversed and it was done.
Unclear contract terms
I saw an official ad from du for a Premier Plan G with the Samsung S3 on lease, and I decided to go for it. The conversation I had with a sales personnel did not give me any wrong indications such as my existing phone number would have to be changed from pre-paid to post-paid or that my existing number would have to be migrated from ‘personal’ to ‘enterprise’. The offered product, which was supposed to be delivered in eight days, was received after 24 days. I also received the shock of losing the pre-paid status for my personal sim card and noticed the non-availability of the benefits I usually get in a similar plan - 200 minutes of free international calls and 200 minutes of national calls, among many others. My current concern is that I am unable to get rid of the entire service, as I am asked to pay the penalty. I also did not sign for the migration of my number. Having spoken to different managers and supervisors at du, I ended up in square one as nothing has happened. Complaints were registered and conversations held, but there is no solution for the lack of communication on the plan, lack of clarity on the form, which does not even have a du letterhead visible, lack of responsibility from the personnel handling complaints and lack of professionalism in dealing with customers having complaints.
From Mr Ramadas Changerath
Abu Dhabi
The management of Du responds:
In response to Mr Ramadas’ letter, our customer care team spoke with Mr Ramadas to clarify the situation. We provided a clear explanation of the application form, that he signed and his consent to the subscription. For further clarification, our Application Form clearly states that the Premier Plan, which Mr Ramadas signed up for, does not include 200 minutes of international calls or 200 minutes of national calls. Mr Ramadas provided his existing SIM card number on the Application Form, which authorises the migration of the stated number from pre-paid to the post-paid Premier Plan.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Mr Ramadas updates:
Du has contacted me saying: “This is to kindly inform you that we will terminate your contract and waive off the charges of termination and we shall also be migrating your number to Pay As You Go Prepaid connection.”
Editor’s note: If you have any unresolved complaints, raise it with us at readers@gulfnews.com and we might be able to help you seek a resolution.
